Dawgman Radio: A Washington Huskies athletics podcast

The guys from Dawgman.com - Chris Fetters and Scott Eklund - go way above their allotted time to really sink their teeth into Washington's recent recruiting efforts, as well as what their plan is moving forward with next month's official visits.

To start, Chris gets Scott's take on Kalen DeBoer's new 'woof' that he debuted on Twitter recently, as well as thoughts on UW's latest commitment for their 2024 recruiting class, Paki Finau.

Scott doesn't believe the Huskies will enter the fall with as many commitments as they had a year ago, and there are reasons for that. The guys go into those reasons, as well as some of the recent trends the guys are seeing with recruiting in general, from the impact made by the transfer portal and NIL, to specific thoughts on why the Huskies are recruiting so many quarterbacks for 2025.

And will the staff be able to compete at a high level for some of the country's top prospects, or will they have to rely more on trying to mining those nuggets they can develop into top players? And how will the new recruiting landscape test DeBoer's patience and determination in maintaining his core beliefs and culture that has been established at Montlake?

After a break to pay some bills, the guys come back to talk specifically about scholarship numbers, how many scholarships should be available for the 2024 recruiting class, and whether or not the UW staff will keep some rides in their pocket for key portal additions or if they'll reward current walk on players like Jack McCallister, Drew Fowler, Grady Gross, etc...

They also talk about some recent offers, including one to long snapper Cannon Skidmore (you can see the full list of 2024 offers HERE), and they also go deep into the two visit weekends that are set to start a month from now (you can see the full list of players that are expected to officially visit Washington HERE).

Will some names be added to those lists? Will they try and have one big week like they did last year where they ended up with nearly a commit a day for about 10 days in June? Or are they looking to be more targeted in their approach and exercise patience for some of the bigger fish out there that aren't expected to make their commitments until much later in the process?

And finally, we get to hear Scott's educated guesses when it comes to the list of players he expects could commit to Washington soon.

Now that spring ball has concluded, it's time to look back at what we saw during the 15 practices, looking in-depth at each position group. Today, the guys from Dawgman -- Kim Grinolds and Scott Eklund -- wrap things up with a look at the special teams.

Record-setting kicker Peyton Henry wrapped up his collegiate career in 2022, so Washington is looking for his replacement. The guys discuss the ongoing battle between two walk-ons -- Addison Schrock and Grady Gross -- and who led coming out of spring camp. Gross handled a vast majority of the kickoffs as a true freshman last season, but neither has kicked a field goal in an actual game, so this battle will likely go through the end of fall camp and maybe even into the season before a winner is determined.

At punter, Jack McCallister was a surprise winner of the job last season, but the Huskies weren't completely satisfied with his performance as they went out and grabbed Adam Saul from the JUCO ranks. Both are walk-ons, but there is definitely the potential to earn a scholarship with a good performance this season.

As far as the returners go, the guys looked at what Jalen McMillan and Giles Jackson bring at the punt-returner and there will be a battle between those two as well as some of the incoming freshmen, namely Leroy Bryant, who could challenge for a spot as the main punt returner.

Kick returner should be a battle between Jackson, Cameron Davis and Daniyel Ngata.

Ngata was a solid kick returner at Arizona State and Jackson was established as a very good kick returner at his previous school, Michigan, while Davis split kick return duties with Jackson last season.

What will be interesting is to see if Davis is still in the mix as the top kick returner if he winds up being the opening day starter for the Huskies at tailback.

At long-snapper, there's no question who the leader is and Jaden Green has become one of the best at his position in the country.

On the coverage teams, the guys talk about the man that Kim believes can be a special teams demon for the Huskies this fall as well as some of the other names who will be key factors in not allowing big returns to the opposing kick and punt returners.

Now that spring ball has concluded, it's time to look back at what we saw during the 15 practices, looking in-depth at each position group. Today, the guys from Dawgman -- Kim Grinolds and Scott Eklund -- take a look at the secondary.

Last season, the deep patrol suffered through one of the worst spate of injuries ever seen on Montlake. No fewer than seven players missed games due to injuries and the coaches duct taped and used chicken wire to put out a secondary with enough players.

There was even talk of moving players over from the offensive side of the ball to give the team enough bodies to cover the opposing offense.

Once the offseason hit, the Husky coaching staff went about finding more bodies to put into the depth and they came away from spring looking much better off than they were at this time last year.

Acquired through the portal from Oklahoma State, Jabarr Muhammad looks to have secured a spot in the starting lineup after showing "sticky" coverage skills. Joining him for much of the spring was Elijah Jackson, a player the coaches have raved about and went out of their way to mention when asked about who had a standout spring.

The move of Mishael Powell to 'Husky' appears to be a smart decision as he was outstanding in the spring. His move allowed Washington to push Dominique Hampton to safety and he and Asa Turner were the two running with the first team for much of camp.

Players the coaches really seemed to like and mentioned as taking the next step included S/Husky Tristan Dunn, CB Thaddeus Dixon, CB Jaivion Green and S Vincent Nunley, all of whom flashed some serious potential at times during the 15 practices.

While all of those players were discussed, the guys also talked about Dyson McCutcheon who ran with the second and third team at the 'Husky' spot while Makell Esteen had a solid spring at safety.

True freshmen Diesel Gordon and Caleb Presley looked lost a bit early, but as practices went along, they showed they belonged.

Lastly, they discussed the other incoming freshmen -- cornerbacks Leroy Bryant and Curley Reed and safety Vincent Holmes -- and how many prospects the coaches are looking to bring in during the 2024 recruiting cycle.

Now that spring ball has concluded, it's time to look back at what we saw during the 15 practices, looking in-depth at each position group. Today, the guys from Dawgman -- Kim Grinolds and Scott Eklund -- take a look at the linebackers group.

A group that needed to take a step up following the 2022 football season was the linebackers. On Thursday, Eklund and Grinolds sat down and looked at a unit that has, essentially, four starters ready to take the field this fall, but only two will likely be on the field at once.

When the Huskies take the field on September 2nd against Boise State, unless there are some injuries, the expectation is that Alphonzo Tuputala and Edefuan Ulofoshio will be the starters at the MIK and WIL spots respectively, but backing them up will be Carson Bruener and Ralen Goforth, two players who lots of experience and plenty of starts under their belts.

Behind those four, the Huskies will feature a walk-on, Drew Fowler, and a true freshman, Deven Bryant, who showed why the coaches liked him so much during the spring.

One other scholarship player, true freshman Jordan Whitney, who, like Bryant, arrived in time to take part in spring football definitely showed some promise, but he wasn't able to see the field as much as linebackers coach William Inge said he's still progressing and learning the defense.

The guys also talked about the valuable walk ons on the roster.

Led by Austin Harnetiaux , the other walk-ons -- Styles Siva-Tu'u, Griffin Miller and Braydon Bruener -- are a solid group who the coaches feel can help during practice and on special teams. All four saw reps with the coverage teams during the spring and each was lauded by the coaches for their effort and commitment to the program.

Now that spring ball has concluded, it's time to look back at what we saw during the 15 practices, looking in-depth at each position group. Today, the guys from Dawgman -- Kim Grinolds and Scott Eklund -- take a look at the EDGE group.

After an excellent season for the Husky EDGEs in 2022, when two players combined for 17.5 sacks, expectations are high as we head into the late spring and summer months.

The guys from Dawgman.com talked about the impact the group had on the Husky defense during the spring with Bralen Trice and Zion Tupuola-Fetui leading the way.

They also talked about the offseason signing of Zach Durfee, a Sioux Falls transfer, who flashed some serious potential during the 15 practices.

The Huskies have some nice depth, albeit relatively still inexperienced depth, that is led by Sekai Asoau-Afoa who is a versatile players who could play some on the inside as well as the outside.

Lance Holtzclaw and Maurice Heims are two scholarship prospects with a lot of promise, but the former was injured for much of the spring and the other got dinged up early, but returned and had some nice moments, although the coaches are still waiting for him to really break out.

A walk-on that has been making himself valuable to the group is Milton Hopkins. He won't blow you away with his size, but he's a hard worker and he understands the defense and his assignment and he always seems to be around the ball.

Anthony James is a true freshman who showed up early. One of the top EDGE prospects in the country when Washington flipped him from Texas A&M, he has the size and frame to become an absolute monster, but he needs to be locked away in the weight room for a year before he's ready to challenge for playing time.

The Huskies also have an impressive looking freshman, Jacob Lane, who has yet to arrive. Like his classmate, the Emerald Ridge prospect needs a year or two of seasoning before he'll be ready to make an impact, but the ceiling for him is high.

The guys wrap things up by talking about the 2024 EDGE board for the Huskies and which prospects they've honed in on.

Now that spring ball has concluded, it's time to look back at what we saw during the 15 practices, looking in-depth at each position group. Today, the guys from Dawgman -- Kim Grinolds and Scott Eklund -- take a look at the defensive line group.

Washington's defensive line returns a lot of talent and experience in 2023 and they will be a huge key in helping the Huskies win a conference title this fall.

The guys from Dawgman go through the two-deeps, starting the leadership of Tuli Letuligasenoa, Faatui Tuitele and Ulumoo Ale. All three return after good seasons in 2022, but none have made as big of an impact as they were expected to when they were recruited out of high school.

For his part, Jacob Bandes, along with Tuitele, was one of the top defensive line prospects in the country in the 2019 recruiting cycle. The switch seems to have flipped for him over the past year and he looks like he could make an impact in the rotation this fall.

Eklund notes that Jayvon Parker and his twin brother Armon Parker are the future at defensive tackle for the Huskies. Both came to Washington after being lightly recruited, but no matter, they should have a big impact over the next couple of seasons. In 2023, they will be in the defensive line rotation, but with so much experience ahead of them, their impact likely won't be felt until 2024.

A player that hasn't gotten a lot of press is Siaosi Finau. The coaches believe he's made progress, but still needs some seasoning before he can really challenge for a spot in the rotation.

They also discuss walk-on Bradley McGannon, a local product who is a valuable practice players, along with 2023 freshman Elinneus Davis who showed up during the spring, but was busy rehabbing from a knee injury.

Lastly, they give a look ahead at some of the top 2024 defensive line targets on Washington's board, including Jericho Johnson, De'Andre Cook, Dominic Kirks and Omar Khan and where things stand with those prospects.

Now that spring ball has concluded, it's time to look back at what we saw during the 15 practices, looking in-depth at each position group. Today, the guys from Dawgman -- Kim Grinolds and Scott Eklund -- take a look at the offensive line group.

When Kalen DeBoer was hired and brought in a new coaching staff, one of the head-scratchers for many Husky fans was the retention of Scott Huff. Due to the 2021 seasons utter collapse offensively, many believed Huff and his group of players were a big reason why Washington's offense struggled so much. Fast forward a year and pretty much every Husky fan is ebulient that Huff was retained and that this group looks like a strength moving forward.

The guys from Dawgman sit down and go through each scholarship lineman on the roster, including true freshmen Landen Hatchett and Zach Henning, each of whom arrived early and showed they belonged on a Power Five roster.

They also broke down each position group, starting with center and then moving to the guards and then the tackles.

Led by Matteo Mele, the center group, including Hatchett and Paker Brailsford, is pretty deep right now while the guards are also a group that has some depth with Nate Kalepo and Julius Buelow running with the first team and veterans Geirean Hatchett and Gaard Memmelaar nipping at their heels.

At tackle, Troy Fautanu and Roger Rosengarten are the unquestioned starters and their main backups, at least right now, are two players -- Sam Peacock and Rogert Wyrsch -- who were brought in as projects when they signed.

Another big topic was the remaining incoming freshmen who will show up in the summer -- Elishah Jackett, Soane Faasolo and Khalee Tafai -- and where they will fit in once they arrive.

Now that spring ball has concluded, it's time to look back at what we saw during the 15 practices, looking in-depth at each position group. Today, the guys from Dawgman -- Kim Grinolds and Scott Eklund -- take a look at the tight end group.

When Husky head coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb came over from Fresno State, some were concerned that the tight end position wouldn't be utilized much in the offense. To be sure, the wide receivers caught a vast majority of the passes, but the tight ends became an integral part of the offense, both as blockers in the running game and in pass-protection, but the also combined to grab 66 receptions for 690 yards and two touchdowns during the season.

Jack Westover led the way while Devin Culp played a larger role as well.

During the spring, Westover dealt with some injuries and that allowed Culp and Quentin Moore to quite a few reps and transfer Josh Cuevas also found his way onto the field with the second and third team, showing why he was a coveted player from the transfer portal.

Waiting in the wings is Ryan Otton, a former four-star prospect from Tumwater. While he's made some progress, he's still probably a year away from making a big contribution to the offense, but the coaches have raved about his work-ethic and future in the offense.

The guys from Dawgman riffed on all five of those players and talked about how the rotation make work itself out this season.

Now that spring ball has concluded, it's time to look back at what we saw during the 15 practices, looking in-depth at each position group. Today, the guys from Dawgman -- Kim Grinolds and Scott Eklund -- take a look at the wide receiver group.

Following a record-setting season, Washington's first with two 1,000 yard receivers, the Husky wideout group is widely considered to be one of the best and deepest rooms in the entire country. In fact, aside from Ohio State, which features at least five future NFL Draft first rounders on their receiver depth chart, there may not be a deeper receiver corps in the entire country.

First thing the guys talk about is what makes Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan so good. Part of it is their rapport with Michael Penix Jr., but they are versatile playmakers who can do whatever is asked of them. Position coach JaMarcus Shephard has lauded their work-ethic as well as they playmaking abilities and both are considered to be two of the top receivers in the entire nation.

The scary thing is, players like Ja'Lynn Polk is rarely mentioned as being a key factor by those in the national media, but those close to the program understand how valuable he is to Washington's offense. The guys talk about what it is that he does best and whether or not they believe he will wind up playing for the Huskies in 2024 or whether he will move on to the NFL.

Throw in players like Denzel Boston and Germie Bernard, two second-year players who could start on quite a few Power Five teams, as well as Giles Jackson and Taj Davis, two role players who could play key roles this fall, and Washington is poised to have a very explosive passing offense this fall.

That's not even mentioning the three incoming wide receivers -- Rashid Williams, Taeshaun Lyons and Keith Reynolds -- all of whom will likely redshirt this season and you can see why everyone is so bullish on the Dawg offense this year.

Now that spring ball has concluded, it's time to look back at what we saw during the 15 practices, looking in-depth at each position group. Today, the guys from Dawgman -- Kim Grinolds and Scott Eklund -- take a look at the running backs.

Washington lost a good one in Wayne Taulapapa following the 2022 season, but luckily they do return the man who shared carries with him, Cameron Davis.

Davis looked the part of a starting tailback during the spring and he seems firmly entrenched as the starter heading into the second half of the offseason, but make no mistake, with players like Dillon Johnson, Daniyel Ngata, Richard Newton, Sam Adams, Aaron Dumas, Will Nixon and Tybo Rogers, he'll be challenged all the way up until Washington's first game against Boise State on September 2nd.

Ngata, a transfer from Arizona State, has shown some flashes, but some nagging injuries kept him in a yellow jersey for much of the spring. Johnson was very much in the same boat, showing up for the second half of spring, but only taking part in two or three practices before suffering an injury that kept him on the sidelines and doing rehab for the final two weeks of camp.

The guys focused on the depth chart heading into the second half of the offseason and also talked about some of the youngsters who are just now starting to get the opportunity to show what they can do.

In addition to Davis' exploits, both felt that Nixon and Adams had very good springs and talked about how the coaches have raved about their positive contributions.

They also noted that Rogers looks like he could be a gamebreaker very early in his Husky career. Coming out of Bakersfield High School, the 5'11", 200 pounder struggled with some injuries, but he is back to full health and showed his explosiveness several times during the spring.

Could Rogers make himself valuable enough to the 2023 team to burn his redshirt? The answer to that is still to be determined.